Dawn of the Dawg
Fansided

Georgia football: Top 10 turnarounds in school history

By Kyle Funderburk

Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs with Roquan Smith (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs with Roquan Smith (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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27 Oct 1997: Running back Robert Edwards of the Georgia Bulldogs runs down the field during a game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. Georgia won the game 23-13.
27 Oct 1997: Running back Robert Edwards of the Georgia Bulldogs runs down the field during a game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. Georgia won the game 23-13. /

10. 1997 from the mid-1990’s

1996 was a big year for me and Georgia football fandom as it’s the year that I began attending games. A was only three years old but I went to three games that season, with my grandfather (a season ticket holder), uncle and father.

However, 1996 was not a big year for the Bulldogs. The mid-1990’s were tough for Georgia football, we all know that. 1996 wasn’t an exception as the Dawgs ended the year 5-6. The season did include two big wins over Auburn and Georgia Tech late in the season, so it wasn’t all bad.

But in 1997, Georgia performed a complete 180. They doubled their win totals and began what is now a 21-year streak of bowl eligibility. Often injured players like Mike Bobo and Robert Edwards stayed healthy and led the offense alongside Hines Ward and Champ Bailey.

You would think that going from 5-6 to 10-2 would warrant a higher spot on this list, and it would if Georgia maintained that success. Instead the Dawgs fell to 9-3 in 1998, and 8-4 in 1999 and 2000. Georgia fired head coach Jim Donnan following the 2000 season.

9. 2011 from the late 2000’s

2010 was a rough season for Georgia fans. Just three years earlier, the Dawgs were on the cusp of a National Title. In 2008, we started the season no. 1. But then Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno left early and the program was set back. And it didn’t help that we started the season with a freshman quarterback and a suspended A.J. Green.

2010 featured one of the worst losing streaks in recent history; a four-game losing streak to South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Colorado. It also featured a devastating loss to Florida and having to watch another rival win a National Championship.

When the season finally ended, Georgia lost to Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl to fall to 6-7. It was our first losing season since 1996. The beginning of the 2011 season wasn’t promising either. The losing streak extended to three games just two weeks into the 2011 season.

After that, Georgia went on a roll. The defense played well and Aaron Murray led a good offense with a group of young receivers who would become some of the best to ever wear the red and black. The Bulldogs won 10-straight games and got some help from Florida to win the SEC East.

The season didn’t end on a successful note, but the Dawgs were back. And in 2012, Georgia was once again on the verge of winning a National Championship.

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